Verbena plant named ‘Kleve03324’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Verbena  plant named ‘Kleve03324’, characterized by its compact, upright, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and bushy growth habit; dark green-colored leaves; red-colored flowers with flowers held above and beyond the foliage; and resistance to Powdery Mildew.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Verbena hybrida cultivarKleve03324.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Verbenaplant, botanically known as Verbena hybrida, and hereinafter referred toby the name ‘Kleve03324’.

The new Verbena is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Camden, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of thebreeding program is to develop new compact Verbena cultivars with largeflowrs and resistance to Powdery Mildew.

The new Verbena originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventorin 2000 of a proprietary Verbena hybrida selection identified as 00.5.3,not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietaryselection of Verbena hybrida identified as code number 00.10.4, notpatented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Kleve03324 wasdiscovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within theprogreny from this cross-pollination in a controlled environment inCamden, New South Wales, Australia in 2001.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in acontrolled environment in Camden, New South Wales, Australia since 2001,has shown that the unique features of this new Verbena are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations of asexualreproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Kleve03324’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Kleve03324’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright, outwardly spreading and mounded plant        habit.    -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and bushy growth habit.    -   3. Dark green-colored leaves.    -   4. Red-colored flowers with flowers held above and beyond the        foliage.    -   5. Resistant to Powdery Mildew.

Plants of the new Verbena differ primarily from plants of the parents inplant habit and flower coloration.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the cultivarBabylon Red, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted inCamden, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Verbena differedfrom plants of the cultivar Babylon Red primarily in leaf shape asplants of the cultivar Babylon Red had deeply dissected leaves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Verbena. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of atypical flowering plant of ‘Kleve03324’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The cultivar Kleve03324 has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and light intensitywithout, however, any variance in genotype. The aforementionedphotographs and following observations and measurements describe plantsgrown in Stuttgart, Germany, under commercial practice during the springin a glass-covered greenhouse with day temperatures about 18 to 22° C.,night temperatures about 15 to 18° C. and light levels about 20,000 to55,000 lux. Cuttings were planted in 12-cm containers and grown forabout five months. In the following description, color references aremade to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition,except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Verbena hybrida cultivar Kleve03324.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary Verbena hybrida            selection identified as 00.5.3, not patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary Verbena hybrida            selection identified as code number 00.10.4, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 5 to 8 days at 20° C.        -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 8 to 10 days at 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted cutting or liner, summer.—About 14            to 20 days at 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted cutting or liner, winter.—About 21            days at 20° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.        -   Rooting habit.—Medium branching; moderately dense.-   Plant description:    -   -   Form.—Compact, upright, outwardly spreading and mounded            plant habit.        -   Growth and branching habit.—Moderately vigorous and            freely-branching with lateral branches potentially            developing at every node; dense and bushy growth habit.        -   Plant height.—About 15 to 20 cm.        -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 50 to 60 cm.        -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 15 to 30 cm. Diameter: About            2.5 mm. Internode length: About 2.5 to 7 cm. Texture:            Slightly pubescent. Color: 137B.        -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Opposite, simple. Length:            About 3 to 5 cm. Width: About 1.5 to 3.5 cm. Shape: Roughly            deltoid. Apex: Acute to rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin:            Crenate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly            pubescent. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing            foliage, upper surface: 137A. Developing foliage, lower            surface: 137B. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137B.            Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 137C. Venation, uper            surface: 137B. Venation, lower surface: 137C. Petiole:            Length: About 5 to 10 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Texture:            Smooth. Color: 137B.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower type and habit.—Single upright salverform flowers            arranged on compact terminal racemes; flowers sessile.            Freely flowering with about 12 to 15 flowers per raceme.            Inflorescences positioned above and beyond the foliage.            Flowers last about one week under greenhouse conditions.            Flowers not persistent.        -   Fragrance.—Faint.        -   Flowering season.—In the garden, flowering is continuous            from spring until fall.        -   Inflorescence height.—About 3 to 6 cm.        -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 5 to 6 cm.        -   Flower size.—Diameter: About 2 cm. Depth: About 5 mm.        -   Flower buds.—Rate of opening, from showing color to fully            open flower: About 1 to 2 days. Length: About 2 to 15 mm.            Diameter: About 2 mm. Shape: Tubular, columnar. Color: 137B.        -   Petals.—Quantity/arrangement: Five per flower fused at base.            Lobe length: About 5 to 15 mm. Lobe width: About 5 mm.            Shape: Obovate. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture,            upper and lower surfaces: Velvety, smooth. Color: When            opening and fully opened, upper surface: 52A; color becoming            closer to 53A with development. When opening and fully            opened, lower surface: 52C.        -   Sepals.—Quantity/arrangement: Five, fused into a tube.            Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Shape: Lanceolate.            Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper            and lower surfaces: Coarse, pubescent. Color, upper surface:            137B. Color, lower surface: 137C.        -   Peduncles.—Length: About 5 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.            Angle: Upright to about 45° from vertical. Strength: Strong.            Color: Close to 137B.        -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Four;            adnate to pistil. Anther shape: Elliptic. Anther length:            About 1 mm. Anther color: 1C. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen            color: 1C. Pistils: Quantity per flower: One. Pistil length:            About 1.5 cm. Stigma shape: Spherical. Stigma color: 139C.            Style length: About 1.5 cm. Style color: 139C. Ovary color:            139C.        -   Fruit/seed.—Fruit and seed production has not been observed.-   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Verbena have been    observed to be resistant to Powdery Mildew. Plants of the new    Verbena have not been observed to be resistant to pests and other    pathogens common to Verbena.-   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Verbena have been observed    to be tolerant to temperatures ranging from 1 to 35° C.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Verbena plant named ‘Kleve03324’, as illustrated and described. 